A client of mine is a couple years into a very big job. She’s seasoned and incredibly sharp. When a recent situation started escalating, her intuition was clear about what needed to happen to limit the organization’s exposure. Instead of trusting her gut, she leaned into her patterns: supporting her people and following the defined processes and protocols. The situation kept escalating, and she grew more and more frustrated.

Knowing and doing are two different things and, often, the pattern is running the show. I know my own version. I know what needs to happen, but I keep trying to think my way to a risk-free outcome: hunting for the least bad option, softening every impact, keeping myself beyond reproach. All that overthinking drowns out what I already know.

Why do capable leaders override what they know? The obvious culprit is momentum. We move through our days like a locomotive, and intuition is a whisper against the engine roar. Underneath are our patterns, the parts of us working to protect us from something: a bad outcome, a negative impact, a wrong impression. Hearing intuition is half the work. The other half is the courage to act against those patterns.

Intuition isn’t magic. It’s your experience speaking faster than your reasoning can explain. It just needs room. When your wisdom is being drowned out, possibly by your own patterns, you need both: the quiet to hear it and the courage to act.

First, create a little quiet. Even five minutes before a big decision.

Then, ask the unfiltered question. “If I fully trusted myself, what would I do?” Notice what your body says.

Next, name your pattern. What are you protecting yourself from?

Finally, act, even though it’s uncomfortable. Trusting yourself isn’t a feeling, it’s a move, even a small one. Check it with a trusted advisor as a sounding board, not a substitute for your judgment.